| What is the MP3 format? | | | | plus; perfect for travellers. |
| MP3 is a format which reduces the size of music | | | | Companies have started thinking of ideas of using |
| files to roughly 1 tenth of a normal CD file; its | | | | MP3 players other than a traditional player; MP3 |
| does this primarily by cutting out frequencies the | | | | players are now appearing in washing machines |
| human ear cannot hear. The sound quality suffers | | | | and guitar shaped toys to help shape your air |
| when such a compression in file size is made, but | | | | guitar fantasies, also more integration with mobile |
| many listeners think this is a worthwhile cost to | | | | phones and personal organisers such as the hotly |
| pay to have greater accessibility to their music | | | | tipped iPhone. |
| collection. The MP3 format was made popular on | | | | Have Mp3s Changed How we Listen to Music? |
| the internet since the small size of its files made | | | | We now as a consumer of music have more |
| downloading tunes easier. | | | | access to different music than we have ever had |
| MP3 Players | | | | before; almost anyone can make music and |
| The first MP3 player, the MPMan F10, was created | | | | upload it for the world to listen to. As such we |
| by South Korean company SaeHan Information | | | | have exposure to a lot more new music these |
| Systems in 1997 and could hold 32 Meg (about | | | | days if desired; before the internet and Mp3s the |
| ¾ of a CD). This has vastly improved over | | | | only way this would have been through the radio. |
| the years as MP3's popularity increased. Mp3 | | | | Listening habits have changed; less people now |
| players are now firmly in the mainstream with | | | | listen to albums in sequence; "random" play-lists |
| landmark products such as the iPod, and Mp3 | | | | exist scanning through the entire music library and |
| players on the market today are capable of | | | | "tags" exist for your tunes which help play all |
| holding 160 gigabytes, holding literally hundreds of | | | | those tracks in your collection that are in a |
| albums and videos. | | | | particular style. |
| As a result of so much music on your Mp3 player, | | | | As such the focus of selling tunes has moved |
| finding a tune can be problematic, so programmes | | | | more to buying individual tracks rather than buying |
| and techniques have sprung up to help you listen | | | | albums. Even the process of buying albums has |
| to the music you love. Many people use iTunes or | | | | changed; across the country CD shops are closing |
| a media library tool such as mediamonkey to | | | | down as more and more people buy their music |
| organise their tracks into play-lists. Also you can | | | | online. iTunes passed its 3 billionth download in the |
| "tag" you music so if you are looking for certain | | | | summer of 2007 and the rate of downloads is |
| genres, such as rock, jazz or classical, you can | | | | increasing. |
| quickly and easily browse through the appropriate | | | | More people these days listen to music of less |
| tunes. Tags are limited only by your imagination; | | | | quality; the music industry peaked at the advent |
| some people label their music by concepts such | | | | of CDs in reaching the limit of human perception; |
| as emotion, colour or location. | | | | CDs essentially cannot be improved upon. |
| A problem with so many Mp3s may be they play | | | | Paradoxically, the growth area of music formats |
| at varying volumes due to coming from lots of | | | | now are those which are actually inferior to the |
| different sources, causing you to change the | | | | formats of the past; although only Hi-Fi freaks |
| volume continuously whilst listening to your tunes; | | | | with expensive gear may be the only ones able |
| for this online tools such as MP3Gain.net will help | | | | to tell the difference between a high bit-rate MP3 |
| normalise (make same volume) your music | | | | and a CD track. |
| collection. | | | | The Future? |
| Putting MP3's on your player | | | | At the moment mp3 players are moving to flash |
| If you're looking for new MP3's there are lots of | | | | drives rather than hard drives to store their |
| sites around that will help you find your next | | | | information, this promises smaller, faster and |
| favourite tune; the classic has reviews and options | | | | quieter operation for future Mp3 players. Looking |
| for you to buy; the new site is a great tool to | | | | further ahead, Mp3 players may eventually merge |
| search, download and listen to MP3s on the web. | | | | and become more integrated with all media so |
| Last.fm is also a great place to search for new | | | | that one device will play your music, your video, |
| music you like by typing in your favourite artists | | | | be a digital camera and enable internet surfing on |
| and browsing through tunes it thinks are similar. | | | | the move. The music quality should increase until it |
| You can also convert your old records and CDs | | | | re approaches that of CDs. Voice recognition |
| to MP3's so you can listen to them on the move, | | | | software should make it easier to interface with |
| there are various tools available for this including | | | | your music, with Bluetooth facilities meaning you'll |
| the entirely online resource at Media-Convert. | | | | be able to interface with your PC and other users |
| MP3 Player Accessories | | | | quickly; there is talk of a peer-to-peer network |
| It's worth upgrading your headphones when you | | | | appearing using just the players themselves |
| buy an MP3 Player; the ones packaged with most | | | | connected wirelessly. Batteries may become a |
| players are of poor quality. It's also worth buying | | | | thing of the past as power consumption |
| or considering batteries when selecting your Mp3 | | | | decreases and solar power is all that's needed to |
| player; some manage a pitiful 8 hours but with | | | | keep you with music all the time. |
| large capacity, whilst others could last 20 hours | | | | |